The Landlady by Roald Dahl

A short story which has an unexpected ending is The Landlady' by Roald Dahl. The writer uses clever structure and effective characterisation to create such a surprising and satisfactory finale. The story is about a young man named Billy Weaver. He is just starting a new job in Bath and, whilst looking for accommodation, he comes across a compelling Bed and Breakfast. He can't walk away from the building and ends us ringing the bell. He barely takes his finger away from the bell when, what appears to be, a charming middle-aged lady greets him. The Landlady tells him how inexpensive it is to stay there so he promptly accepts and enters the boarding house. However, Billy is unaware that he has entered the home of a taxidermist. The Landlady poisoned Billy's tea and the reader can assume, because of the subtle clues woven into the fabric of the story, that she has stuffed him, along with her two other previous guests.

One reason why the story's ending is so unexpected is that the Landlady is portrayed as a magical and mysterious character. She moves around very quickly and slyly, "The dame moves about like a jack-in-the-box". She also has an unnatural interest about her young male guests, "There wasn't a blemish on his body". Her appearance is quite chilling and quite contrasting, "Small, white, quickly moving hands and red finger nails". It is quite strange that she has this colour of nails when she is an old lady. The Landlady also always refers to young Billy as "my dear" which is reminiscent of the predatory wolf in Little Red Riding Hood.

Billy is portrayed as a young and spruce man. This is shown by his new work clothes, "He was wearing a new navy-blue overcoat, a new brown trilby hat, and a new brown suit". The repetition of the word new also emphasises the fact that he is very excited about his new job and has to be very prepared. Roald Dahl also portrays Billy as an ambitious young man. He looks up to the the "big shots up at Head Office" which...

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...long after life and even during. RoaldDahl was given this chance then took it and created something much larger, greater, and legendary as one could have possibly managed. He changed the entire aspect of writing, giving it his own feelings, perspective, and even heart within each swift stroke of his pen. He was capable of transforming a lousy sheet of paper into something much more tremendous and life changing. Dahl incorporated so much more than just fictional ideas within his writings. His own personal experiences are what established his magnificent creation.
Roald began Writing at the age of eight; “A Journal” is what he had called it. He would walk across a field past his mother’s garden, and into the distance, there stood an enormous Conker Tree. Dahl would climb up as far as he could possibly reach, and when he arrived at the right limb, he would carefully untie the rope that held a tin box. Roald would grab his journal and sit on a limb for hours and hours at a time, writing. Roald said the he felt distant, not only from society, but from the world also. He said that this allowed him to create his own atmosphere, one that made him feel comfortable, and welcome; only to realize that those creations had opened doors to a new world already.
Dahl has experienced many uplifting moments in his life, but the most memorable he stated would have to have been...

...(c) How has the reading of The Landlady by RoaldDahl taught you that one must be cautious and not too trusting? Discuss with close reference to the text.
An evident theme in “The Landlady” by RoaldDahl is that appearances are deceptive. Billy, due to his naïveté, is taken in by the landlady, thus portraying insufficient caution
In one instance, when he rings the bell of the landlady’s house, he is immediately informed that the rent required is “fantastically cheap.” This compels him to stay there. Yet the house is surrounded in comfort and luxury with “a pretty little dachshund” and a “plump sofa.” Such material convenience is synonymous with exorbitant charges but he is not suspicious of the fiendish schemes brewing in her mind. It is ironical that he found the rent reasonable, for his naïveté has, ultimately, to pay an even higher price – his life.
Furthermore, upon viewing her house, he notices a “a pretty little dachshund” and a “large parrot”, enticing him to stay there. “Animals were usually a good sign.” However, little does he know that they have met their demise until later.
The landlady’s external veneer is attractive; she seems warm and kind with “gentle blue eyes.” So courteous is she that she has thoughtfully prepared Bill’s room. She is depicted as being affectionate such as calling him an endearment, “dear.” This draws him to her. Such wonderful...

...is immense (BBC). Having lived in Europe at this time, the author RoaldDahl reveals the influence which living in this time period has made. This is demonstrated in his stories “The Wish”, “Lamb to the Slaughter” and “Man from the South”. The significant situations of this era assist in the establishment of a foundation for his work, bringing the dominant sentiments into action within the characters, themes and settings of Dahl’s short stories.
When the Second World War ended in Europe, there was a sudden post-war realization that ultimately nothing would ever be the same (BBC). It was the end of a world war, but there was a continuation of conflict among and within all nations. The end of World War Two brought with it the consequences of communism, the continuance of additional wars, the economic drainage of countries, and mourning among all people from the casualties of war (WikiAnswers). Along with the war, the lives of the younger population were harmfully affected by private schools which implemented the idea of corporal punishment (Corporal Punishment Archive). The result of these two conditions is reflected in Roald Dahl’s stories, as he was influenced by both the war and his school. The subsisting conflicts, shrewd protagonists and grotesque atmospheres in Roald Dahl’s “The Wish”, “Lamb to the Slaughter”, and “Man from the South”. These writings expose the disturbed mentality of both...

...﻿Brandon Steriti
Dr. Norris
ENC1102
January 4, 2014
RoaldDahl
Literature, a word that supports the works of authors many have come to know throughout countless amounts of decades. Although evolving in beliefs and styles of literature, methods used centuries ago, many are still recognized today as the foundations of classifications. Writing allows one to express what is truly felt, rather than following specific guidelines and formulas. There is no right or wrong way to express one's self, therefore, authors may be immensely more popular than other authors, but it does not mean they are truly better. It is the audience's opinion to appropriately realize in which talent they believe is outstanding. Writing, whether it be poems or shorty stoies, for the most part, allows one to be free and place personal thoughts from one's mind to the paper. Poets and authors have learned to come together in order to work to become increasingly influential on one another, letting others look at the world in countless perspectives, thus creating diverse generations of scripture. Novelist, poet, screenwriter, and Royal Air Force Aviator, RoaldDahl would have to be one of the most influential writers of the 1900's with countless amounts of works ranging from children's books to horror stories, he has come to be the ideal writer throughout the world.
"RoaldDahl was born in Llandaff, Wales on September...

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Commentary “A Piece of Cake”
“A Piece of Cake” is the third short story of Roald Dahl’s collection Over to you published in 1946. The collection deals with Royal Air Force pilots or civilians who participate in World War II.
The story deals in a first part, with an unknown first-person narrator who doesn’t remember his accident well. Before the latter happens, he and Peter, his fellow pilot plan to head towards Mersah Matruh. As they prepare to fly off, an airman warns them to be careful. The narrator and his friend answer that it will be a “Piece of Cake”. As a matter of fact, it won’t. During their flight over the Libyan desert, they face troubles and before crashing, the narrator manages to get out of the plane. Eventually, he faints. As he wakes up, Peter tells him that he has lost his nose and the narrator passes out one more time. Regarding the second part of the story, it deals with the narrator’s dreams. He dreams of airmen painting funny things on the planes, fighting with the Germans in the air, falling into the ocean and sitting on a chair. His dreams are also scattered with some moments of consciousness. Last but not least, he dreams of his mother and of tumbling over a cliff. Finally, he awakes and the nurse tells him that he has been here for four days in a hospital in Alexandria, Egypt. Then, she tells the narrator that he will be fine and goes away.
The story provides us with, in a first part of the short story, a...

...﻿Biography
RoaldDahl was born in Wales, on September 13 1916, of parents Norway, Harald Dahl and Sofie Magdalene Dahl Hesselberg. Roald attended the Cathedral School in Llandaff.
At age of nine, RoaldDahl was sent to St. Peter's School, a private school in the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare, which he attended from 1923 to 1929. From the age of thirteen was educated at Repton School in Derbyshire, where he was assistant to a prefect, he became school captain five and developed his interest in photography.
Throughout his childhood and adolescence, spent their summer holidays in Norway.His childhood is the subject of his book, Boy (infancy narratives), which insists that the book is not autobiography, but some occurred in his childhood stories that inspired him to write other books.
Writing
Dhal's first children's book was The Gremlins, in 1943. He went on to create some of the most beloved children's stories of the twentieth century, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda.
Meanwhile, he had a successful career as a writer of macabre adult short stories, usually appealing to black humor and surprise endings. Dahl wrote more than sixty stories and have appeared in numerous collections, some only published in book form after his death.
One of his more famous adult stories, Southern Man ( The smoker or Man from the South ), was filmed...

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|Group: 2º Inglés |Due date: November, 2008 |
The aim of this essay is to give an outline of Roald Dahl’s life, highlighting the most important moments of his life, to point out his mayor works - specially the ones addressed to children-, and to mention many critics’ opinions of his writing.
RoaldDahl was born in Llandaff, Wales on September 13th, 1916. He was the son of Norwegian parents. His father, Harald Dahl, died when Dahl was three. His mother, Sophie Magdalene Hesselberg had to raise him, his three brothers and two stepchildren. He gave tribute to his mother in “The witches”, in which he tried to represent his mother through the character of the grandmother. Not only did he suffer his father’s death but also his sister Astri, who died from appendicitis. After both tragedies, Dahl’s mother decided to remain in Wales since it was her husband’s wish to have their children educated in British schools. During his adulthood he also suffered the loss of his eldest daughter Olivia and during an accident, his four-month year old son suffered from brain damage.
RoaldDahl had a miserable time at school and this had the greatest influence in his writing. His school days are the central theme in his autobiography...

...﻿Early Writing Career
While in Washington, D.C., Dahl met with author C.S. Forrester, who encouraged him to start writing. Dahl published his first short story in the Saturday Evening Post. He went on to write stories and articles for other magazines, including The New Yorker. Of his early writing career, Dahl told New York Times book reviewer Willa Petschek, "As I went on the stories became less and less realistic and more fantastic." He went on to describe his foray into writing as a "pure fluke," saying, "Without being asked to, I doubt if I'd ever have thought to do it."
Dahl wrote his first story for children, The Gremlins, in 1942, for Walt Disney. The story wasn't terribly successful, so Dahl went back to writing macabre and mysterious stories geared toward adult readers.
Personal Life
The same year that Someone Like You was published, Dahl married film actress Patricia Neal, who won an Academy Award for her role in Hud in 1961. The marriage lasted three decades and resulted in five children, one of whom tragically died in 1962.
Dahl told his children nightly bedtime stories that inspired his future career as a children's writer. These stories became the basis for some of his most popular kids' books, as his children proved an informative test audience. "Children are ... highly critical. And they lose interest so quickly," he asserted in his New York Times book...